A new voyage - 'Being Present'

I am in the fortunate position of being part of the 'Voyager Cross-School Collaborative Inquiry and Collective Wisdom Programme' with Dr. Vikram Murthy, Director of the Academy for Collaborate Futures as Lecturer.

This inquiry will enable participants to seek deep information, demonstrate insightful behaviour and enable productive change.

Our first session was set around the framework of 'Being Present' and we were challenged with many questions and affirmations.

• "What have you done today to make you feel proud?" 
• "Are we changing as fast as the world around us?"
• "Life is very interesting / thought provoking. Wherever you are, be there!"

One of the many challenges was to understand ourselves by using a metaphor to identify three positive and three negative personality traits as we thought we are seen through the eyes of our colleagues. This one made me think...! 

By using an online tool [beforehand], we identified our five top Signature Strengths and I got to understand that my personality is more that just a trait. We were encouraged to use our Signature Strengths at work often to bring about high performance in our groups and organisations.

Question:

What do you 'see/experience' your work as?

1. A job that you do for the paycheck?

2. A career where you mark achievements through money, but also advancement?

3. A calling where you see your work as contributing to the greater good?

We explored the eight elements of flow and learnt how flow occurs when the challenges you face connects with your abilities to meet them.  In fact, to recognise the full value of flow, one must realize that you can enjoy anything if the elements of flow are present.  

Reflection:

• When you can find a way to use your Signature Strengths at work, you could see your work as contributing to the greater good and you [too], can have a calling.
• Flow offers an opportunity to improve the quality of existence. It is necessary to enjoy the steps taken towards attaining a goal, and not [just] from actually reaching it.
• I have gained [an interesting] personal insight into my feelings and motivation from using the JoHari framework to identify my 'Open Self', 'Hidden Self', 'Blind Self' and 'Unknown Self' through a multi-person activity.

Next Step:

• To do a flow audit of my own work and to draft useful lessons for my own work-life.

~ "If we missed the moment, we miss the clues. In the present, when we allow ourselves to fully live there, we are restored, made wiser, made deeper and happier." 

- Marianne Williamson ~